Primadonna!
by Silverbells123
Summary: When a big-shot director comes to direct a play at Hollywood Arts, Trina is determined to get the role. And absolutely nothing will stop her from playing the role she is destined to play.
1. 1: Unstoppable

_I do not own the characters created by Dan Schneider, Only my OCs.  
Enjoy._

* * *

 _Chapter one – Unstoppable_

 _ **Primadonna!**_

 _A musical play by Jensen Taylor  
Director of Academy Award nominated film based on the book, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY_

 _ **Audition date:  
**_ _This Saturday – 10am_

 _ **Where:**_ _  
Blackbox Theater_

 _ **Brief synopsis:**_

 _A determined woman in her 20s moves to New York with dreams of becoming a movie star. But as her fame skyrockets, her love life suffers.  
_

 _ **Primary roles:**_

 _Dianna Kelly  
_ _The charismatic and confident female lead; must be able to dance._

 _Nina Rey Allen_ _  
Female lead; Dianna's rival. Must be able to sing and dance._

 _Beau Reynolds_ _  
Male lead; Dianna's love interest._

 _Hunter Wintour_ _  
Male lead; Dianna's love interest. Must be able to sing._

 _Kelsey Evans_ _  
Male lead; Dianna's love interest._

 _ **Secondary roles:**_

 _Jillian Reese_ _  
Female character; actress which works with Dianna._

 _JJ_ _  
Female character; Hunter's friend.  
_

 _ **Head to the Hollywood Arts main office for the script for your audition if interested.  
On the day of your audition, please be punctual. Or else you will not be allowed to audition.**_

* * *

Trina was in a state of complete disbelief when she saw the newly hung poster on the entrance of the Blackbox theater door. Until now, it was only a rumor that Jensen Taylor, _the Jensen Taylor,_ was going to direct a play here at Hollywood Arts, his Alma mater. Trina couldn't help but feel excited; she peeped over her shoulder then quickly tore the poster off the door and held it in her hands.

' _This is it. This is the big break I have been waiting for!_ ' Trina thought excitedly. She felt an excessive amount of hopefulness. Then in a split second, doubt crossed her mind. For you see, Trina realized that as a high school senior, she hadn't landed many roles… scratched that, she hadn't landed _any_ roles this school year besides that one stint in her sister, Tori's play.

She felt immense embarrassment at the memory, of how she ended up in hospital because of a set malfunction. Something at the back of her mind told her to leave this alone; maybe she just shouldn't audition and embarrass herself in front of critically acclaimed director. If someone so highly regarded in Hollywood laughed to her face, she's sure she would die right on the spot. Because it's not as if she hadn't auditioned for any plays in the past year, she auditioned for _every_ play this year. No matter how stupid it was, no matter how small. She felt her heart twist at the realization that while her senior peers have been booking small roles in actual Hollywood movies, she hasn't even been able to book a single part in a school play.

Trina however, wasn't going to let this get her down. If she didn't book this major part in this play, she was certain no drama/arts college would accept her. However, _maybe_ if she landed the lead role, they would be more accepting if they heard the director was Jensen Taylor. She felt more determined than ever. In her heels, she ran to the Hollywood Arts main office and burst through the door. Ann Wilmore, the Hollywood Arts main office receptionist jumped in her chair and stared wildly at Trina.

"Sorry, Miss Wilmore" Trina gave a lame apology. Miss Wilmore stared daggers her.

"Yes, Miss Vega… What can I do for you?" Miss Wilmore tried to sound polite but Trina could hear a hint of irritation in her voice.

"I would like a script for the play _Primadonna_ " Trina said nicely, matching the faux politeness that Miss Wilmore had showed her.

"Umm… uh… we ran out!" Miss Wilmore said, suddenly looking very nervous and avoiding Trina's eyes. Trina narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

"What do you mean you ran out?" She asked.

"They are all gone" Miss Wilmore lifted her hands and shrugged. Trina wasn't buying it.

"So can't you print more?"

"Nope!"

"Ask Jensen Taylor to send more copies?"

"Can't do that either!"

"Why not?" Trina said exasperated, she was done fooling around.

"Um… well… Okay listen here, Trina" Miss Wilmore sighed in defeat and leaned forward, looking Trina dead in the eye.

"I have been told to strictly not let you get your hands on a script by Principal Dubois, because it is not every day that a big shot director comes here to direct a play with our students, therefore we would like to let Mr Taylor believe that _each_ and _every one_ of our students are absolutely talented and gifted so that maybe in the near future, he will come and do this again. Therefore we cannot let you audition because one minute with you on stage could send him running!" Miss Wilmore huffed and took a deep breath, as if what she had said had taken so much from her.

But what she had said had taken a lot more from Trina; her breath, her confidence, her faith and her hope. She stood there stunned, mouth agape. Tears threatened to spill but she quickly blinked them away. Miss Wilmore sighed and looked remorseful, like she was about to apologize but stopped and looked away.

"Okay." Trina said sternly. Though she was hurt, she wasn't going to let anyone see that.

"Okay?" Miss Wilmore looked at Trina like she had grown a second head. She was expecting Trina to jump over her table and wrestle a script from her hands. Her hand even hovered over the security panic button underneath her desk.

Trina however looked aside and exited through the door. Leaving the receptionist baffled and relieved that she didn't have to use the pepper spray in her purse.

The drive home for Trina was a silent one. Trina kept thinking about what Miss Wilmore had said to her. Was she truly that talent less? Was she truly that much of a mess?

At a red light, she suddenly remembered how much Tori and her friends liked to remind her how talent-less she truly was. But she had always blocked them out and told herself that she just hadn't found the right role yet. She banged her head on the steering wheel and let out a long groan.

She wanted this part… more than anything in the world. She wanted to prove to everyone that she truly has talent, truly has acting ability. She knew she had talent; for the past few years, she has been acting like her sister and her friend's words don't affect her when in fact they truly do.

Trina arrived to the Vega residence and saw three parked cars, meaning that her sister's whole gang was there. Trina groaned and contemplated just pulling out of her driveway, but kicked herself mentally when she realized that she was basically letting her sister's friends bully her out of her own house. She wasn't going to let that happen. She continued to park in her garage, opened her car door, closed it and entered her house.

"I know exactly what I want to be, I want to be a star! I want adoring fans to worship the ground I walk on; I want men to kiss my bare feet! I want to be on magazine covers and make the penthouse suite at the Ritz-Carlton my home away from home, my first home being my Manhattan penthouse, of course." Cat said emotionally in front of a crowd of Tori and her friends, they all held pink A4 papers in their hands. Trina knew it was the script to _Primadonna._

"Is this dialogue supposed to be emotional?" Tori asked, concentrating on the page she was holding. She hadn't noticed that Trina had arrived. But Cat did.

"Hi Trina!" Cat said enthusiastically. She was the only one of Tori's friend that she could really consider hanging out with.

Immediately, Tori and her friends pushed their scripts behind their backs and acted surprise, as if Trina had caught them doing something she wasn't supposed to find them doing. Trina was sure they too got the memo, the 'keep-the-script-away-from-Trina-Vega-at-all-costs' memo.

"Hi Trina, what are you doing back here?" Tori said nervously.

"I live here, Tori." She could see Tori mentally kicking herself. Jade rolled her eyes at Tori's stupidity.

"So… Did you hear there's going to be an audition on Saturday, Trina?" Jade said viciously, a smirk placed victoriously on her face. Jade wanted to torture her, laugh at her pain and make her feel less than she already did.

"Jade!" Tori, Cat, Andre and Robbie shouted. Beck rolled his eyes and slid his hand through his hair. He knew Jade would do this.

"Yeah, I did. Are you guys going to audition?" Trina said in a flat tone, she already knew the answer.

"Of course… in fact, Principle Dubois gave us our scripts personally." Jade taunted. Tori looked at Jade with disdain.

"Jade…" Beck warned. Trina didn't know why Beck cared to spare her feelings, she still hadn't forgotten about the trick he, Robbie and Andre pulled on her – even though she did have it coming by lying to everyone by spreading a rumor that she and Beck were dating. But Trina also considered that he was only annoyed that Jade had reminded Trina of the audition, the very audition that had on strict rule which was 'No Trina's allowed.'

But Trina was determined; she was going to get her hands on a script. One of them is bound to slip up, and she knew that person would be the very one that sleeps in this house: Tori. Trina smiled and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter.

"Have fun, you guys. I've got homework." Trina said coolly. She retreated to her room, but not before glancing over her shoulder when she reached the top of the staircase. Everyone except Jade seemed shocked or confused. They expected a fight, for Trina to leap and snatch the pages from one of their hands. Andre and Beck were mentally ready to catch her before she could do just that, the gang had discussed what the protocol was if Trina had come home before they had finished practicing.

But Trina simply walked away. She was going to get her hands on a script, she just had to wait.

When nightfall came, she stayed in her room for dinner. Chances were that Tori was spilling all the details of the upcoming production to her parents , they would ask if Trina was auditioning and Tori would tell them that their oldest daughter was banned from getting a script, and her parents would probably agree that it was for the best. She knew exactly how events at the dinner table would unfold, and she wanted no part of it.

" _Tori thinks she's so smart…"_ Trina thought as she slid her debit card between Tori's bedroom door and giggled the doorknob. Within a few minutes she was in. She could hear Tori excitedly telling her parents about the famous director downstairs. She rolled her eyes and slipped in and closed the door.

However, she couldn't find the script. Tori couldn't have taken it downstairs, she never locks her room and her room must have been locked for a reason. It was in here and as a precaution she hid it. But Trina knew that Tori wouldn't hide it in an elaborate place because Tori could be forgetful sometimes. She most likely hid it in a place that she could see, a place she knew she was going to find it. Trina walked to Tori's desk and shuffled a few papers carefully, making sure she didn't leave an obvious footprint. It wasn't there.

Agitated, Trina walked to Tori's bed and sat. She noticed a strange noise, like crumpled paper.

" _You have got to be kidding me"_ Trina thought to herself, she uncovered the bed-cover and found the script. The papers consisted of one to two page audition material for the primary characters like Dianna Kelly, Nina Rey Allen and Dianna's love interests. Trina contained a squeal when she realized she had found what she was looking for.

Quickly, she took photos of the audition material for Dianna Kelly and Nina Rey Allen. She returned the pages to its previous position and covered it. She suddenly realized that the chatter downstairs had grown softer, which was dangerous because it meant that Tori had stopped talking. In a panic, she jumped to the door and switched off the light and peeped outside Tori's bedroom.

"Trina?" She heard Tori's voice and was certain she was caught. But she didn't see Tori, because Tori was in her room… looking for her. Thinking quickly, she slithered through the door, closing it as quietly as possible. She tip toed into the bathroom across the hallway and ducked in. She released a breath of relief, if Tori had found her it surely would have blown her plans.

"TRINA!" Tori called. Trina remembered that she wasn't actually in the clear just yet, so she flushed the toilet, let the water in the basin run for a few seconds and opened the door – pretending as if she was in the bathroom this whole time.

"Yeah Tori, what do you want?" Trina asked innocently, Tori turned around startled.

"Where were you?" Tori asked suspiciously.

"Bathroom, duh" Trina stated in a monotone voice. She looked Tori in the eye to help aid her white lie.

"But I passed the bathroom, the door was wide open… no one was in there." Tori said dumbfounded. She was sure Trina wasn't in the bathroom; if she was she would have known.

"Well, I was in there. Didn't you hear me flush?" Trina prayed that Tori would believe this. She still looked skeptical and her face scrunched up in disbelief. But as silenced washed over them, Tori definitely heard the hum of the toilet tank filling with water after a flush. Tori looked somewhat convinced.

"Well I brought you some soup. You said you weren't feeling well and you have to eat. I left it on your dressing table." Tori said.

"Oh yeah, thanks Tori. I'm feeling a bit under the weather." Trina let out a soft cough, hoping to add to the masquerade of what she was truly doing.

"OK. Do you want me to bring anything else?" Tori asked; she was hoping that she would leave quickly before she somehow found out what she was up to. Trina wondered why she suddenly wanted to be of help, when she's without her friends she's a different character to Trina.

"No I'm fine"

"OK, hey Trina… about the play…" Tori began, but also struggled to get the words out. How do you tell your older sister that you're sorry that she has been banned from auditioning? How do you tell your sister that you're sorry that even you can't give her a chance to read the script? How do you tell your sister, to her face, that she's so untalented that she could potentially bring down a whole school?

"Don't worry about it, Tori" Trina smiled and ushered her sister to the door.

"Really?" Tori asked, surprised of her sister's calm attitude to what could be the biggest school production ever.

"Really. Goodnight." Trina closed the door after Tori had been escorted by her through the door. Quickly she rushed to her computer and connected her phone to her laptop. She loaded the pictures and read the lines. She was going to audition this Saturday. She was going to try. And she was going to audition for the role of Dianna Kelly; she was going to blow everybody away. She was going to get this role and prove everyone wrong. She is going to prove to everybody in that whole damn school and her parents that she is talented and worth a chance.

She was determined and nothing was going to stop her.

* * *

 **AUTHOR NOTES:**

I've been playing with this idea even before Victorious ended but only got around to writing it now LOL. I actually kind of liked Trina in the show and didn't like how everyone kind of bullied her even though she was basically 'talent-less'. Hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you think of the first chapter. Thanks for reading!

P.S. if you noticed any errors, I'm sorry - I proof read and edited this at 1AM.


	2. 2: Allies With Motives

_I don't own the characters created by Dan Schneider, only my OCs._

 _Another chapter! Here ya go! Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter two - Allies with Motives_

" _What do I want? I want it all! I may not be the best singer, and I sure as hell haven't earned my 'Best Actress' award just yet, but I am sure of what I am. I am a star. Can't you tell, Beau? I am better than every other actress on this production. I am meant for better things, I was meant for this role."_

Trina took a deep breath and continued. This was her sixth time going over her audition material. It wasn't hard dialogue to remember. She just wanted to get into this role as soon as possible and the more she rehearsed it, the more she became confident and the words became fluent and natural.

" _I know exactly what I want to be, I want to be a star. I want adoring fans to worship the ground I walk on; I want men to kiss my bare feet. I want to be on magazine covers and make the penthouse suite at the Ritz-Carlton my home away from home… my first home being my Manhattan penthouse, of course."_

Trina looked at the watch on her phone. It was 12:35am, and so she decided that it was time to call it a night and retire to bed. She changed into her pyjamas and switched off her bedside light. But she couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing.

It was now Friday. The audition was tomorrow. Holy shit. How would she get in? Surely if Principal Dubois wanted to make sure she wouldn't audition, she would put guards at the front entrance... So then how would she get in? Maybe if she used the backdoor, the one connected to the school library… But that wouldn't work; wouldn't Principal Dubois have guards planted in the hallway?

'Maybe I'm being crazy' Trina thought. Maybe it's crazy to think that Principal Dubois would go through all that trouble to ensure Trina _didn't_ come. But this was a big deal; Jensen Taylor is a big director who was nominated, _nominated,_ for an Academy Award. It's not like this is a daily occurrence at Hollywood Arts. Having a part in this play means big publicity for Hollywood Arts. And for the students, it means a chance to get discovered by a Hollywood movie big shot. Surely a play at a performing arts high school directed by a popular director would attract agents and directors – especially for the ones looking to cast the next Jennifer Lawrence. For the students, it means being one step closer to their dreams.

And Trina was one of those ambitious students. Being called talentless for so long didn't _entirely_ hinder her dreams of becoming rich and famous. She has always wanted to act and sing. She realised that although she wasn't the best singer, she could still act decently. It's just she was never given enough roles to practice. And it was because of this, she tried to make her own play instead. Trina cringed at the memory, it was a mess, she will admit. It was so bad that Robbie labelled it a comedy even though she wrote it as a serious drama about tragedy and overcoming adversity. That stung, but when she saw it attracted a crowd and people seemed to enjoy her 'comedy', she went along with it.

But this isn't some comedy role she can half-ass, she realised. This is a role about a woman who is sure and confident about what she wants to be, and how she will get it – Trina couldn't help but relate to that, even though she has only read a few lines of the script.

The script of the play wasn't the whole entire script, obviously. The pages handed out to the students consisted of two pages of dialogue that doesn't reveal much of the story. There was one page of dialogue for the students auditioning for Dianna Kelly and one page for the students auditioning for Beau Reynolds, Dianna's love interest.

But from that one page, Trina felt like she knew Dianna Kelly, she saw a reflection of herself, and her aspirations. Dianna Kelly wants to be a star and will do anything to get to where she wants. She has confidence in what she does and wants to be the best. Trina on the other hand, _used_ to know how that felt like. Trina let out a long sigh as she remembered that she used to be that way. She used to be sure of everything she wanted to be, she was sure of her abilities. Not anymore.

It was now, that Trina realised that there was a shift in her personality. Before, all she cared about was singing, dancing and acting. She wanted to be a star; she admired those who made it big in Hollywood. Then when she got to Hollywood Arts, she changed to be somewhat egotistical. She was unsure about what triggered the change exactly; it might have been a number of things.

Before she was accepted into Hollywood Arts, when she was still at Sherwood High School, she was the star. She was the special snowflake that everyone admired. She got all the main leads in the play and people loved her. And then she moved to Hollywood Arts and had a rude awakening: she wasn't special anymore. Everybody there was either just as talented as she was or way better than she could ever be. Her identity at Sherwood was the special girl who got all the leads in the drama plays and musicals. Now she was just like everyone else.

Trina tossed and turned in bed; she was tired but was unable to sleep. She realised that maybe her arrogance was a coping method, to help her cope with the fact that she was no longer special in the eyes of Hollywood Arts, she was just like everyone else. And to make herself feel better, she started to inflate her ego to the point it was unbearable to others. Trina groaned into her pillow.

And now she also used her arrogance as a way to hide her insecurities. She admits that she isn't as good as Tori at singing, and maybe even acting. But even though she had her own problems at Hollywood Art, it was still her turf until Tori came along. Her more talented and prettier little sister had overshadowed her and made her look pathetic in comparison. But Tori wasn't to blame. Trina knew it was also her fault for not trying hard enough to become better at her craft.

And now she only has one impossible shot. If she wins the director over, she's sure all will not be lost. She could still have a shot at her dream. Trina knows what she wants; she wants to be a star. She wants the red carpets, the Hollywood parties, interviews, and adoring fans. She wants the riches and lavish lifestyle that also comes with it. She wants to do what she loves and what she was once absolutely passionate about: acting.

Slowly, she felt herself drifting to sleep, but was interrupted when she heard a beep, signalling an incoming message from her phone. Trina, upset that someone would text her at this hour turned her back to ignore her phone. But another beep from her phone urged Trina to peep at her screen. Trina angrily lifted her phone to see who was responsible for disturbing her at this hour.

 _From: Unknown Number  
Message: I know you want the part. Meet me tomorrow at the Blackbox theatre before class. Come alone._

Trina eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She didn't know if she was shocked, or scared, or fascinated. Who was this? Who wanted to see her? Trina felt uneasy. Is someone willing to help her get this part? Or is this some sick joke? Trina locked her phone and stared into the darkness of her room until she felt sleep welcome her back into its embracing arms.

* * *

Tori was chattier than usual today. She said something about how Sikowitz was going to help prepare the class for the auditions tomorrow. But Trina wasn't necessarily listening. Tori seemed to think all was well with Trina after their discussion last night, which was barely even a discussion. So today, Tori was telling Trina all she knew about the audition. She could barely hold her excitement in.

"Yeah, but I hope I get the part, I want it so bad! All the drama students are auditioning, Trina. This is so big. I heard a rumour that if all goes well with the play, he's thinking about turning it into a movie! Can you believe that? And I heard that he might use some of the same people from the play to act along side with some big Hollywood stars too."

"Uh huh, sounds exciting." Trina adds. She wasn't necessarily concentrating on what Tori was saying. She was still thinking about the mysterious text message she got earlier that day.

Plus, Trina wasn't upset at Tori, she loved her younger sister and wanted her to succeed. If Trina couldn't get a lead part, she secretly hoped it would be Tori who gets it instead of someone like Jade.

"Are you sure you're okay, Trina. If you want I won't audition if it makes you uncomfortable." Tori said in a soft voice, she looked at Trina, concerned.

"Don't worry, Tori. I'm fine. I am absolutely ok with you auditioning."

"Ok great because I really want to audition! This is so exciting; it's all everyone is talking about at school!" Tori was suddenly back to her bubbly self, as if she wasn't pretending to be concerned about Trina a minute ago. Trina noticed this, her eyes rolled.

Trina pulled up into the Hollywood Arts parking lot while Tori droned on and on about how Jade was sure she was going to get the role. As soon as she saw Andre emerging out of his car in the parking lot, Tori was as good as gone. She was already out the door calling for Andre, without saying a word to Trina. Trina didn't mind, she had somewhere to be.

Trina rushed through the halls of Hollywood Arts and reached the Blackbox Theatre and nearly pushed it open, before she was stopped by someone calling her name.

"Trina! Hey, Trina!" She knew that annoying voice anywhere.

"What do you want, Sinjin?" Trina sighed, her back still turned to him. Surely he wasn't the mysterious texter…

"Oh Trina, your harsh tone delights me. Did you get my text? You might want to rethink the way you talk to me when I know you need my help." Trina's eyes widened, how could he have possibly known?

"I know you're not the type to back down, I could be your biggest ally if you let me be." Trina slowly turned and faced him.

"What's the catch?" Trina scoffs, "Let me guess, you want a date? A kiss?"

"No!" he exclaimed, "unless you want to because I will be _extremely_ open to it." He added, desperately. Trina turned her back to him again, a look of disgust.

"Wait, wait, wait! Okay no date or kiss! But we can make a deal… I will get you in, in exchange for your bra." Trina turned and looked Sinjin straight in the eye, stone faced and her hand itched to slap him across the face.

"I happen to be working on the stage you desperately want to be on, I can guarantee you entry if you give me what I want. _And,_ I will ensure Principal Dubois is distracted long enough for you to do your audition." He looked pretty fucking pleased with himself.

"This is blackmail, Sinjin. But why am I not surprised you of all people would stoop so low?" Trina asked rhetorically. Sinjin smiled.

"I don't see it as blackmail… I see it as a deal. The auditions tomorrow are going to be crazy, and the production of the play is going to be even crazier… If you _do_ get the part, you will need an ally. Think of me as the Littlefinger to your Sansa Stark. I want to see you rise, and I am willing to help you." Sinjin smiled, Trina, however, was not amused.

"What an appropriate metaphor, Sinjin. Since both of you are creeps." Trina started to walk away from him.

"Trina, stop! I just want to see you get the part, okay! That's why I'm willing to help you… and also because I want one of your bras but that can be negotiated." Trina stopped walking; she eyed Sinjin from the corner of her eye.

"Why? What do you benefit from me getting the part?"

"I just want to help you, Trina. And yes, also in a way that benefits me too. Its mutual… we both get something."

"But what you want is absolutely disgusting, creepy and twisted!" Trina exclaimed.

"Maybe! But I can still be your biggest ally. I have a key to the backstage door, I will keep Jensen Taylor in the room while also distracting Principal Dubois and I have information that will benefit you for the audition. Like the dirt I know so far that can help you. Take the deal or leave it, Trina." Sinjin smiled at her.

It was true; she needed an ally, especially since she was so alone in this. But was it worth getting involved with Sinjin? It is true that he is loyal, if you tell him what to do. He doesn't have the backbone to betray Trina, unless another girl like Jade or Tori asked him to do something so that made him undependable. However, on the other hand, she could give him what he wants and that could ensure that he stays by her side.

Sinjin wasn't evil; he was just a major creep who couldn't get a girlfriend because of his major creepiness. A memory of him telling her that he collects the teeth of dead presidents crossed her mind.

"Okay. Deal." Trina stretched her hand to Sinjin, and in response he did a comical double take.

"What! Really? I mean… Great!" Sinjin shook her hand vigorously.

"Okay creep, tell me what you know… Now." Trina lowered her voice to almost a growl, her intent was to scare Sinjin. She succeeded.

"Umm… Well I got to read a few more pages of the script, since I'm working on production and all…" Sinjin started, "And the lead, Dianna Kelly is supposed to be a feisty woman, real confident with old Hollywood glamour. So they are looking for a senior for that part, so Tori and Jade are already cut. Your biggest competitor is Candace van der Kael."

"Candace van der Kael?" Trina felt her palms sweat and her face heat up in anger. How could be she so stupid? Candace van der Kael was the most popular senior here. Simply because she has already been in a string of Hollywood movies, mostly background but a few lines here and there. Understandably that has earned her major popularity here in Hollywood Arts. She even made a cameo in the last Hunger Games movie! She was already connected in Hollywood.

Candace was the bane of Trina's existence, Candace never missed an opportunity to make Trina feel like some lesser, like someone beneath her.

"Yeah, Candace. You know how her dad works at Lionsgate Films? It's the film studio that distributed Jensen's last film."

Trina nodded.

"Well she had her dad send Jensen Taylor a fruit basket, _and_ they met last week. She was bragging about it at lunch." Trina looked at Sinjin and suddenly a memory from four weeks ago emerged in her head.

"Didn't Candace tell you to meet her in the Blackbox a few weeks ago, and then you got naked for no reason and she told the whole school about how you like to jack off in the auditorium?" Sinjin's eyes widened and his cheeks immediately turned red. Suddenly everything made sense. Trina hadn't seen Sinjin get 'caught' in the act, she was sick that day but Tori practically ran home to tell Trina about it and the video was all over The Slap.

"It wasn't for 'no reason'! She told me –"

"So you're doing this for revenge?" Trina interrupted. Sinjin looked down with shame; finally some truth had been revealed. "Well, lucky for you I don't like Candace either."

Sinjin smiled; a wicked smile that bonded them in this crazy plan. Trina matched his smile and turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing! He's into actresses and actors that are willing to get real deep into the part. He likes it when his actors cut their hair for parts, basically reinvent themselves to adjust to this vision or do their homework on the part. His favourite actor is Daniel Day Lewis, you know… He likes method actors. Get to the auditions prepared; the best way to get the part is to act like you already have the part." Sinjin added.

Trina chuckled at the irony. She is supposed to act like a determined, feisty starlet who wants to make it big? They might as well just give her the part right now.

"See you tomorrow, Trina. Get here early, I'll hide you and tell you when it's go time." Sinjin said before bowing before her. Yet again, she was reminded that he was weird.

"See you tomorrow." Trina replied. And she stepped back into the hallway. Except she didn't go straight to class, she went straight to the door and walked outside. She didn't need to be in class today, she knew everyone would be preparing for the biggest role of the school year tomorrow. Trina, however, had gotten an idea from Sinjin during their conversation. She got into her car and put on her sunglasses.

Jensen Taylor liked method actors; he liked it when actors got really into the role. This was no trouble for Trina. She could be anything Mr Taylor wanted her to be. And it was time she did her homework.

She cruised out of the Hollywood Arts parking lot, as she repeatedly whispered to herself:

"Anything for the role…"

"Do anything for the role…"


	3. 3: The Real Primadonna

_I don't own the characters created by Dan Schneider, just my OCs._

 _Chapter 3! Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter three – The Real Primadonna_

'Jensen Taylor' Trina typed in the Google search engine. Immediately, images of a man with blonde-brown hair and hazel eyes popped up on her screen. She slowly sipped her iced coffee as she opened the 'images' link. She was currently sitting in a quiet booth in front of her laptop at _Lorraine's,_ a café 15 minutes away from Hollywood Arts and 25 minutes away from her house. She chose this café because not only was it not as busy as Starbucks but here, she was less likely to run into anyone from her class, and most importantly her parents. She _was_ skipping school after all, and she doubted that would sit well with her parents.

And also because this has always been her quiet spot, a place to sit and relax. She loved it here because it resembled a quiet Parisian café, with soft, beautiful cream, brown and white color tones. The air smelt of fresh coffee and croissants and chocolate. And Trina has always wanted to go to Paris or New York. This café was unlike the ones she frequently visited near her home or school; it had a warm homey feel.

She looked at the pictures of Jensen Taylor. She looked at him at the premiere of his film _Between Shades of Gray_ , one picture of him at the Cannes Film Festival, one at Sundance, one at the Oscars, one where he is front row at a Chanel fashion show, one where he is front row at a Dior fashion show, one with a pretty dark-haired model on his arm. Trina was surprised for a moment; she had forgotten that he was only 24 years old, six years older than her. And for his film to be nominated for an Oscar for best picture, when he is that young, Trina found that incredible. And she couldn't help but swoon over how handsome he was too. The model on his arm had to be the luckiest girl in the world, Trina thought.

Trina moved her cursor to the 'web' link on her Google page and pressed the Wikipedia link. If she wanted to get an idea of what kind of actresses he liked, she hoped there would be _something,_ just a little information on his Wikipedia that could give her an idea of which direction to go.

His 'Early life', stated that he attended Hollywood Arts then moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Moving to 'Career', he then made a series of short films that earned him recognition at many film festivals. His first major studio film was _Between Shades of Gray_ , which earned him a nomination for 'Best Picture' at the 2014 Oscars. This was news that Trina already knew. She scanned the page to 'Personal life'.

It said that he officially moved out of LA after graduating from AADA, he was quoted as saying that nothing inspired him there anymore. He alternates between living in New York and Paris. He said that the liveliness of New York City attracted him there; he regularly visits Broadway shows. And the beauty and aesthetics of Paris, he says, is what attracted him to spend a whole year in Paris. He recently bought a house in Florence, Italy.

He was been living a life only Trina can dream of. She felt rather envious. She opened a tab and typed 'Jensen Taylor Paris home' and Google showed her the interior of his Parisian penthouse apartment. What struck her were the two large portraits of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn in the background of the living room, above a flawless white grand piano.

He likes the aesthetics of Paris; the liveliness of NYC; he likes old Hollywood film actresses and he doesn't like to make easy films, he likes to make films with challenging stories and interesting characters. _Between Shades of Gray_ , a story about a Lithuanian girl sent to be imprisoned in a prison camp in Siberia was gritty but beautifully shot; noticeably, he likes films centering on particular time periods. And he seemed to reject modern LA/Hollywood culture, he cared about the movies he made and it was evident.

For a moment, Trina's mind lingered to why Jensen Taylor would return to Hollywood to direct a play at his old high school. He could be making another Oscar-worthy movie… But that didn't matter to Trina. What mattered to Trina was getting the role. And after clicking link after link and watching interview after interview for nearly two hours, she realized that he didn't want some regular actress. He wanted someone who was ultimately devoted to the roles he made and stood out. And that gave Trina an idea.

Trina stood up and packed her laptop away. She left money on the table and walked to her car. She was nervous about what she was about to do but she wanted to be devoted to this role. She wanted it. And she was going to get it. She drove to her nearest hair salon and walked in nervously.

A woman in her 30s with dyed blonde hair greeted her.

"Hi I'm Kate, how can I help you?" She said in a welcoming voice.

"I would like to remove my extensions and… I would like a haircut" Trina couldn't believe she had said that. She wasn't ready, yet her mouth couldn't shut up.

"Great. Just sit in one of those chairs and I will be right with you." Trina walked to the chair and sat down. She was still jittery.

The woman returned with scissors in hand. "Okay, how much would you like me to chop off?"

"All of it"

"What?" She looked at me with disbelief. She nearly choked on the gum she was chewing.

"Not all… um… a bit shorter than shoulder length? And dye it dark too."

Trina's hair currently fell over her shoulders down to her stomach. Admittedly, most of her hair was extensions but her real hair was nearly that long. And it was dyed to be dirty blonde.

"Okay, love." She said before going to work. Trina waited as she removed the extensions and her eyes fell to the floor as she watched her hair fall to the floor with each snip and cut. She wasn't as sad as she was anymore. But she would be incredibly pissed if she did this all for nothing. Within an hour, Trina's hair was short and dark and slightly curled at the tips. She loved the way it looked on her. She paid the woman and left the salon feeling slightly different. This was a major move for Trina, she loved her long hair. But she wanted change. And this look made her look different. Made her _feel_ different.

Next, she drove her car to the park. Under the shade of a large oak, she practiced her lines all afternoon. Soon her watch read 3pm, which meant class had to be out and she would be expected home. She drove home and to her surprise, saw cars already parked in the driveway. Which meant Tori was home and she brought her friends with.

Trina parked in the garage and walked through the kitchen door. Tori and her friends were seated on the couch. As soon as Tori heard her come in, Tori began whining to Trina about something until she turned and did a double take.

"Trina! You were supposed to wait for me– what happened to your hair!"

"I cut it" She replied in a monotone tone that made Tori feel a bit sheepish since it was blatantly obvious what had happened to Trina's hair.

"It looks nice!" Cat chimed in from the couch.

"Thank you, Cat." Trina picked up an apple and walked to the staircase.

"Yeah, it looks really good. What made you decide to change your hair, Trina?" Tori asked.

"I don't know. It was a heat of the moment thing, I guess." Trina half-lied. Sure it was a spur of the moment thing to change her hair but also, she wasn't about to tell them what triggered her decision. That she had spent her morning researching Jensen Taylor to see what kind of actresses he mostly auditioned. It seemed that he mostly auditioned dark haired actresses, but what had mostly influenced Trina to change her hair color was a need for something different.

"Ok well… I guess I'll see you later, Trina" Tori watched her sister ascend the staircase and out of site. She never thought Trina would ever cut her hair, and she recalled Trina once saying that hair without highlights was incredibly boring. Something was up with her sister and she didn't know what. But she also didn't know if she should run up to her sister's room to ask what was the matter, or focus on her lines for tomorrow's audition. To Tori, her sister has always been weird, but Trina's behavior for the past few days has been incredibly weird.

Though Tori has always thought her sister was annoying, especially when she tried to hang out with her friends, she didn't realize how used to it she was. Now when they played poker or planned activities, her presence or lack thereof, was noticed. And she wasn't the only one that noticed.

"Has anyone noticed that Trina has been acting weirdly lately?" Beck said after Trina disappeared up the staircase.

"What? That she has finally left us alone?" Jade said. Tori knew that Jade obviously didn't care for Trina, so her comment was no surprise.

"Yeah, she's been acting real weird lately… I saw her leave school today, she didn't attend any of her classes. What's up with that, Tori?" Andre asked. It was weird hearing her friends voice any sort of concern for Trina, she was under the impression that they all hated her, besides Cat.

"I have no idea. I think it has something to do with the auditions tomorrow…" Tori had thought that maybe Trina had gotten over it, but perhaps she was wrong.

"Who cares" Jade groaned as she looked over her lines again, making it painfully obvious that she was done with the conversation and done with the sudden concern for Trina.

"Well, it makes perfect sense for her to be banned from auditioning. She's untalented and irritating. We want to show Jensen Taylor that Hollywood Arts is filled with talented actors and actresses and Trina is…" Robbie trailed off, trying to find the right adjective.

"A loser? An untalented waste? A living mystery of how she got into a talent-based entry school with zero talent? An egotistical madwoman?" Jade finished. Tori's head snapped to Jade's direction as she gave her a look of disapproval.

"You know it's true" Jade smirked. And Tori felt guilty for feeling that Jade was right.

"Still, I would feel really sad if I wasn't allowed to audition. Trina must feel terrible. We have to do something!" Cat said sympathetically.

"What can we do? It's not like we can let her audition, Cat. Think of the school and what Jensen Taylor would think of it." Andre told Cat. Cat pouted in response.

"Trina has been rejected all her life, she will get over it," Jade said as she stood up. "Now can we focus on important matters please?"

Jade waved her script in Tori's face. Reminding her that it was Tori's turn to practice.

And upstairs in the Vega residence, Trina was preparing as well. Because in less than 24 hours, she would be giving the best audition of her life…

* * *

"Okay. The coast is clear." Sinjin waved Trina through the backstage door. Trina, dressed in a black coat, hat and sunglasses hurried through the door and slithered past the black curtains to where Sinjin signaled Trina to stand. Trina heard murmurs and muffled speaking that she was sure belonged to the acclaimed director himself, judging from the sound of his voice that Trina now knew because of watching two hours worth of his interviews. Trina felt a flutter in her stomach, she was incredibly nervous.

"Up here!" Sinjin whispered and gestured to a metal ladder leading to where Sinjin was working. But as Trina grabbed the railing, Sinjin stopped her.

"Do you have what I requested?" Trina rolled her eyes and gave him a look of disgust. If she could spit in him, in that moment she was sure she would. And in one swift movement, she pushed a scrunched up bra into Sinjin's delighted face. Trina rolled her eyes again but wasn't so bothered, she smirked at the fact that the bra was one she had bought yesterday and sprayed with her perfume. There was no way in hell she was actually going to give him one of her actual bras. She proceeded to climb the steps.

Luckily, the area she was hiding in was quite dark and when she crouched down, she was hidden well. No one would suspect that Trina was hiding up here, especially with Sinjin. And up here, she had a great view of the stage but an even better view of Jensen Taylor.

Suddenly she heard a female voice resonate throughout the room, which she recognized immediately.

"Welcome back to our wonderful school, Mr. Taylor. I hope not much has changed from your time here." Principal Dubois cheerfully said.

"Well, a few things have changed. What happened to Eikner?" Jensen Taylor replied.

"Oh, he retired about a year ago and moved to Hawaii." Principal Dubois admitted. At that, Jensen Taylor lifted his head and smiled at her.

"Good for him, and I hope he has stopped wearing those God awful vests. And another thing that has changed," He turned to Sikowitz who was also in the room. "What happened to your hair, Sikowitz? When I was here you had a full head."

Sikowitz wistfully rubbed his bald head, "This is what dealing with crazy teens does to you; first they make you to Yerba and get arrested so you have to save their butts, then they make you ride in a giant cupcake and then your pants get stolen by thugs and then they put Viagra in your coconut milk!" Sikowitz ranted.

"Well… I don't know about that Yerba cupcake business, but you need to let that Viagra thing go! I was seventeen! I have grown…" Jensen Taylor mockingly put his hand over his heart and spoke with a voice that Trina knew was of fake sincerity.

"You have now?" Sikowitz questioned while eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yes! In fact, a peace offering," Jensen Taylor reached behind him to a bag his assistant was holding and pulled out two coconuts. "Coconuts, from Hawaii."

Sikowitz's eyes widened as the coconuts were placed in his arms. "Hawaiian coconuts! Good Lord!"

Jensen Taylor smiled warmly, which made Sikowitz suspicious.

"What did you do to them?" Sikowitz interrogated.

"Nothing… don't you trust me?" Jensen taunted. Trina laughed quietly, his voice was laced with a fake sincerity which Trina knew drove Sikowitz mad. Regardless, he thanked Jensen and walked out of the room to dispose of his coconuts.

"Again, I would like to say it's wonderful to have you here and if you need anything just ask." Helen chirped.

"Thank you, Principal Dubois."

"Please call me Helen!"

"Thank you, Helen. Now let the auditions begin!" Jensen exclaimed which earned him a few giggles from Helen and a playful eye roll from Sikowitz who had poked his head through the door.

"Well then, are you ready?" Sikowitz asked as he signaled the first girl to come through the door.

The next 30 minutes had bored Trina to death. Now paired with the fact that she had almost spent all of last night practicing and worrying if Sinjin could pull off sneaking her in, she must have dozed off a few times which had been interrupted by Sinjin kicking her awake. But on one occasion, she must have full on slept because her snooze was interrupted with the sound of Principal Dubois exclaiming: "Sinjin, what was that?"

Trina regained consciousness quickly and looked up at Sinjin whose face was red and sweaty with embarrassment and fear. Trina peered down to see that everyone was looking in their direction.

"Umm… I breathed." Sinjin said nervously. Principal Dubois cocked her head to the side and eyed him suspiciously.

"Really? Because it sounded a lot like a snore."

"That's how I sound when I breathe," Sinjin replied with confidence. Trina covered her mouth at the realization that the people below them had heard her snore, and Sinjin had to cover for her.

"Son, you need medical help if that's how you sound when you breathe!" Sikowitz exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, but you haven't made a sound like that in thirty minutes! Does that mean you haven't taken a single breath since? You're not making those sounds right now!" Jensen argued.

In which Sinjin sheepishly replied, "Did you know that the mango is called 'the king of fruit' and is considered a symbol of love in India?" Helen shook her head.

"Ignore him, he's a very weird boy," Helen said, before shooting one last venomous glimpse to Sinjin. Once the heat was off Sinjin, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You owe me" He whispered, and Trina was tempted to groan but was too cautious to make another sound.

"Okay, who do we have next…? Cat Valentine!" Sikowitz called out. Cat bounced into the room with a large smile on her face.

"Hiiiiiiii," Cat said in her usual baby voice. Jensen looked taken aback.

"Hello Cat, is that your real name?" Jensen asked.

"My real name is Catarina Valentine"

"Wonderful. And that is an interesting hair color, what made you decide to dye your hair?"

"It's because I love red velvet cupcakes so much. They are the best! Thank you so much for asking!"

"You're… welcome? Okay, whenever you're ready."

Cat recited her lines and she sounded pretty good, Trina thought. She said her lines with much emotion and Trina thought that although it sounded alright, it sounded more like she was whining, it didn't need to be as emotional as Cat was making them. Regardless, she handled it well. Until Jensen asked her a question.

"Thank you, Cat. One question, though, what do you think this character wants? What do you think really drives her?"

Cat stood stunned.

"Um… thank you bye!" Cat panicked and ran out of the room. Jensen looked forward, where Cat previously stood, in disbelief. Trina bit her lip, repressing a laugh.

"Oh Cat, that poor soul… Anyway, Jade West! You're next!" Sikowitz announced. A second later, Jade sashayed into the room with an air of confidence. Trina nearly growled.

"Jade West, whenever you're ready," Jensen said with a smile.

Trina was, in a colloquial term, 'shook' by Jade's performance. She was good, Trina bitterly admitted. She wasn't flawless, though, Trina thought she came off rather 'mean girl-ish' in her performance and gave the character a rough edge, but Jensen Taylor liked it. Trina looked up at Sinjin, who didn't look too worried.

"She's not a senior, Trina. Jensen is looking for a senior for the part." Sinjin reassured her.

"Sinjin! Are you talking to yourself?" Principal Dubois shouted from below.

"Yes," Sinjin replied as if he was engaged in a casual conversation.

"Cut it out, weirdo!" Helen replied back.

"Jade West, I'm going to ask you a question. What do you think this character wants? What do you think drives her?" Jensen asked, and for the first time in Trina's life, she saw Jade look confused and lost. She relished it.

"I don't know… money? Fame?" Jade answered. Jensen nodded.

"Thank you, Jade," Jensen looked down at his notes as Jade walked out. "Who's next?"

"Toooorrri Vega!" Sikowitz announced loudly and dramatically. Within two seconds, Tori's head peered in.

"Hi, I'm Tori Vega," Tori said with enthusiasm. She bounced to the center of the stage and flashed Jensen her best smile.

"I heard" Jensen replied casually, returning the smile.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure you heard over the madman sipping a coconut over there" Tori joked, which earned her a curt nod from Sikowitz and a laugh from Jensen.

"She jokes! Now let's see if she can act. Whenever you're ready, Tori." Jensen pointed at Tori, signaling Tori to begin.

Tori was good, it almost made Trina sad that she knew she wasn't going to get the part. Tori was enthusiastic, bubbly and likable. Something that Cat and Jade couldn't replicate without sounding artificial.

"Thank you, Tori. Question time! What do think personally drives the character? What do you think internally motivates her?"

Tori looked stuck. She looked up as if she was searching for the answer to be on the ceiling of the auditorium. After a short silence, she gave the question a go.

"Ummm…. I think she really wants to be famous. To have adoring fans and be somebody, like a lot of other students here who are auditioning for the part. I think she wants to be rich and famous and is very dedicated to getting there." Tori smiled. By far, this was the best reply Trina had heard. The reply seemed to satisfy Jensen as he thanked her and waved her off.

"Is this the last person? Thank God, let's finish this. Who's next?" Jensen asked. Sikowitz glanced at the paper in his hands.

"Candace van der Kael" Sikowitz announced. Trina might have just been hearing things, but she thought she heard Jensen groan.

"I'm here!" Candace announced as she walked into the auditorium. She smiled at Jensen. "It's so nice to see you again, Jensen. My father wanted to know if you got his gifts? He _really_ wants to distribute your next film, he's so embarrassing."

Trina and Sinjin gagged.

"Yes Candace, it's nice to see you again. I did get your father's gifts, all 27 of them."

"Like I said, he's so embarrassing. I totally didn't have anything to do with it. Anyway, are you ready for the best audition of the day?" She flashed a big bright smile and began.

Trina didn't want to admit it, _at all_ , but she was pretty great. Candace had energy, confidence, and charisma. Plus, she had the look of a superstar. Her auburn hair has perfectly curled and tousled over her shoulder. She wasn't famous yet, but she sure as hell looked the part.

Sinjin looked down at Trina and saw her sulking. Trina stared tentatively at Jensen who remained stone-faced throughout Candace's audition. Trina thought that was a good sign, it meant that he hated her performance, right? That's what Trina thought until he clapped enthusiastically for Candace after her performance.

"Great performance, Candace!" Trina groaned and continued her sulking. Sinjin rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Jensen." Candace placed her hands on her chest, drinking in the sweet sound of applause.

"Just one question before you go, though. What do you think motivates Dianna Kelly? What do you think drives her to succeed?"

"That's a good question… Uhhh…" Candace stalled. Trina looked at her with interest. Trina wanted her to say the wrong thing, she counted on it.

"I think that she wants to be rich and famous and have adoring fans. I know that's what I want!" She giggled as if Jensen had asked her a ridiculous question. "Confident, young and wants to be a star. I feel like I can relate to that."

Trina stared at Jensen with such curiosity, she didn't even blink once. She tried to read his face, but he was such a riddle. Was he impressed? Unimpressed? Had she said the right thing? Or the wrong thing? Trina wanted desperately to know.

"Thank you, Candace. You may go now." Jensen said in a friendly voice. Did that mean he was satisfied with her reply? Trina didn't want to feel defeated before she even tried.

Sikowitz waited for her to leave the room before he announced that the auditions were officially over. Trina shook Sinjin's right pant leg, alarmed. Sinjin looked oddly calm. He simply looked at his watch, before mouthing: 'three, two, one'.

Immediately, Ms. Wilmore minced through the door and into the room and urgently whispered something into Principal Dubois ear, which shocked her into dropping her jaw.

"There's what in the what?" Helen asked Ms. Wilmore in a frenzied but hushed tone, "Racoons? How did they get _there_?"

Trina looked up at Sinjin in disbelief, he smirked at her in return.

"Okay, okay, get Sikowitz, I'll be right there." Ms. Wilmore grabbed Sikowitz's arm.

"What are you doing, lady?" Sikowitz exclaimed, earning an alarmed look from Jensen Taylor. He smiled at him in a bid to reassure him that nothing was wrong. Ms. Wilmore leaned into Sikowitz's ear.

"Oh God… I have to save my coconuts!" Sikowitz dashed out of the room with Ms. Wilmore tailing behind him.

"Excuse me for one moment, Mr. Taylor. There's just an issue that needs my attention. I won't be gone for long, just for one moment." Helen smiled sweetly at Jensen Taylor before madly dashing out of the room. In an instant, Sinjin jumped down the ladder and rushed to the door and locked it.

"What are you doing?" Jensen asked, his voiced laced with curiosity and nervousness.

"Mr. Taylor, that was not the last audition of the day. There is someone else here who would like the part." Sinjin announced confidently. Jensen sighed.

"Unfortunately, this role is for women only, Sinjin. I mean you can audition but I can't promise you the role."

Sinjin paled at the realization of what Jensen Taylor was saying. Trina could barely contain a laugh.

"What? No! I mean… Trina get down here!" Trina stood up and descended the stairs. Jensen's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of this mystery girl.

"And who are you?" He asked curiously.

"Hello, Mr. Taylor. My name is Trina Vega and I'm here to audition." Jensen shook his head in bewilderment, he could barely contain his disbelief. He looked back at his assistant who too, couldn't believe her eyes.

"And why didn't you just audition like the other girls?" Trina had gained his curiosity, she needed to audition right now before Helen and Sikowitz came back.

"Let's just say there were people who _really_ didn't want me to audition and I kind of need to hurry up before they come back," Trina said quickly with a smile.

"Go ahead," Jensen said as he leaned forward, fully invested in the woman who stood before him. Trina removed her coat, hat, and sunglasses since there was no reason to hide anymore.

Trina gave it her all. She recited the lines so perfectly and so fluently that it was almost like she wasn't playing a character at all, it sounded like she _was the character._ Trina maintained an air of confidence and she no longer felt nervous. Jensen remained stone-faced until the very end.

"Good job, Trina. I have a question for you. What do you think drives Dianna Kelly? What internally motivates her to find success?"

Trina slipped out of character immediately. She had stayed for each audition, saw each girl audition then attempt to answer the question Jensen always asked. Somehow, Trina had forgotten to formulate her own answer to his question ahead of time. So she had no choice but to answer honestly.

"Honestly, I think sadness... and spite"

"Sadness… and spite?" Jensen repeated, surprised at Trina's answer.

"Partially… I think she has something to prove. I think she's overcompensating for something. She wants to a big star because she's not satisfied with the life that was given to her. She feels lonely, so she wants adoring fans so she doesn't feel lonely anymore. She wants to be a big star because then she will feel like she has achieved something, something that many people probably thought she would never achieve. She is confident but her biggest fear is feeling like a loser. And yes, she wants the fame, the riches and the Hollywood dream that everyone dreams about. But most importantly, she wants to feel validated, either by herself or by others, but she will never admit that."

"Wow. You got that from a few lines of dialogue?" Jensen quizzed. Trina felt her face getting hot and there was a tightness in her chest. Perhaps she was mistaken, perhaps she was projecting herself onto this character when it really wasn't that deep.

"Yes," Trina replied, unsure.

"Thank you, Trina. Thank you for auditioning. For your information, one of the themes for this play is metamorphosis, do you know what that means?"

Trina stared Jensen in the eye, for some reason, she couldn't look away or even blink. "Yes. It means to transform into something different, to change form."

"Yes. You said that sadness and spite were what partially motivated her, can you tell me what else drives her to succeed?"

"She wants change in her life?" Trina replied slowly. She felt strangely numb in front of Jensen.

"Is that a question or an answer?" Jensen pressed. Trina felt dumb.

"Both?" Jensen chuckled at Trina's response.

"I think you better leave now, Principal Dubois won't leave me alone for long." And sure enough, Trina heard the doors to the Black Box theater shaking a second later.

"What the hell? Sinjin!" Sikowitz's voice boomed from behind the doors. Trina unfroze from her spot and swiftly knelt down to pick up her coat, hat, and sunglasses from the floor and without looking back disappeared through the Black Box backdoor.

Once Sinjin was sure Trina had left, he scurried to open the door. Sikowitz stormed in; his eyes were wide, his hair was wild, his shirt was torn and dirty and he had red scratches on his face.

"What is going in here, Sinjin?"

"He wanted to audition for the part, he was pretty good actually. Blew me away." Jensen lied. Sinjin exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Oh, dear Sinjin… If you want a part in this play you will have to audition with the other boys tomorrow." He put a hand on Sinjin's shoulder then turned to Jensen. "Was he really that good?"

"Yes. Great actually. It's a tragedy you had to miss it." Jensen said it with an edge of seriousness in his tone. Sinjin wondered if he was really talking about Trina. "But speaking of tragedies, you look like one. What happened, Sikowitz?"

"I got attacked by a raccoon!" Sikowitz shouted in disbelief.

"A raccoon?" Jensen asked. "How?"

"I don't know! But somehow that little cretin got into my class and went straight for my coconuts!"

"How does a raccoon get into a school?"

"Yes… how _does_ a raccoon get into a school?" Sikowitz asked himself, staring at the ceiling with a finger on his chin, deep in thought.

Sinjin looked away. Of course, _he_ knew how the raccoon got into Principal Dubois office. However, he didn't know how it moved from one end of the school to the other, into Sikowitz's class. He hoped that they didn't hurt the raccoon or else he would never get his deposit from 'Rent-A-Coon dot com' back. And while Sikowitz was animated, telling Jensen the story of his attack, Sinjin silently crept into the shadows, satisfied that his job was done.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he silently prayed that this was all worth it.

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

 **I hope you enjoyed it. I think from now you can guess that I am a fan of the book 'Between Shades of Gray' by Ruta Sepetys. I was so excited when I saw that she had written another book called 'Salt to the Sea'. You should really read it if you get the chance, I loved it.**


	4. 4: Expect the Unexpected

_I don't own the characters created by Dan Schneider, just my OCs._

 _Chapter 4…_

 _Chapter four – Expect the Unexpected_

* * *

If Tori was nervous about not getting the part, Trina was a wreck. Since the auditions, nearly a week had passed and Trina painfully felt every minute of it. Trina could tell that Tori so desperately wanted to talk to her about it, but refrained from doing so in consideration for her older sister's feelings. Trina knew she didn't want to hurt her feelings, which filled Trina with a small fleeting feeling of joy. Trina would have been happy at her sister's kindness if she wasn't already filled with fifty other emotions already.

Trina felt guilty; she didn't want to keep this secret from her sister. In fact, the person she most wanted to talk to about this was Tori, and it irritated her to no end that she couldn't talk to her about something this big. Tori was her sister after all; they shared lots of things. Secondly, Trina felt embarrassed. The day after the audition, Trina felt somewhat shameful for what she had done. She felt like she ambushed Jensen Taylor by having Sinjin lock him in the Black Box theatre and watch her audition against his will. When the reality of what she had done set in, she realised that she had held a distinguished Hollywood director captive and made him watch her audition, and that definitely _screamed_ that she wascrazy or disturbed. What had Jensen thought of her after she left? He _must_ have thought she was a loon.

Thirdly, Trina felt regret. That feeling followed suit after she realised what she had done. _What if I don't even get the part and I made a complete fool of myself for nothing?_ Trina thought. That thought triggered her to throw herself on her bed, cover her face with a pillow and not leave her room for the remainder of the day. Tori and her parents thought that this was her reaction to not being able to audition for the play, which worked in Trina's favour since they felt her well alone. On the Monday morning after the audition, Tori crept into her room as Trina finished dressing and apologised for not being a good sister and abandoning her in her time of need.

"I should never have auditioned, I should have thought about how that would make you feel. And I'm really, really sorry." Tori apologised. Trina knew Tori wasn't really sorry and that if the opportunity came again, she would probably still audition. But the gesture was sweet and for the first time Trina also felt guilt for what she had done. Now, Tori felt like Trina's reclusiveness was partially her fault and Trina wanted to kick herself for unintentionally making Tori feel this way.

"Tori, I'm glad you auditioned. You shouldn't miss any amazing opportunities like this because you're afraid of how I'll feel. I'm fine with it, I'm not upset." Tori looked relieved and grinned from ear to ear, which made Trina feel even guiltier for lying to her. Trina was torn between really wanting the part and hoping that she didn't get it so that she wouldn't have to confront Tori about this lie. They were sisters, and Tori would feel betrayed to find out that Trina had lied to her.

The second wave of embarrassment randomly hit Trina on the following Wednesday when she was about to begin her karate practice. _What if Jensen Taylor tells all his director colleagues about that 'crazy girl' at Hollywood Arts?_ Trina thought. If Hollywood directors hear about what she did, they wouldn't take her seriously at all. Her career in Hollywood would be over before it even begun! That day, Trina kicked her frustration into a training dummy until it broke.

Trina asked God if anything could get worse, it was rhetorical but God seemed to answer anyway: "Yes! Yes, it could!" Because on Thursday morning, she opened The Slap and saw the number one talked about thing was Candace van der Kael's new major role as Heather Duke in the 2018 adaptation of _'Heathers'_. The first thought that crossed Trina's mind was _'Why the hell would they make another 'Heathers'? The first was great enough!'_ but the second was _'No way this is true.'_ Trina then journeyed to Candace's profile and saw that she had done a Q&A as if she was already a celebrity. Trina's eyes rolled.

' _Is this for real? You're going to take Shannen Doherty's place as Heather Duke?'_ Wrote a student whose name Trina didn't recognise.

' _I could NEVER take Queen Doherty's place! But yes, I'm going to be playing H. Duke! Signed the deal a few days ago and production begins soon!'_ Candace replied.

' _What's the rush? That's a really short time to prepare for the role…'_ Wrote Bethany Park, a girl in Trina's dance class.

' _Holland Roden was originally going to play H. Duke but dropped out last minute. They called my agent immediately and offered me the part. I'm sure I'll handle it ;)_ ' Trina wanted to throw her phone across the room. There was a good chance that Candace had gotten the role of Dianna Kelly and to add insult to injury, she had gotten a part in a major Hollywood movie? Trina wanted to hide in her room for the remainder of the whole week.

Even going to class that day was hard, everyone crowded Candace and swarmed her with attention. As if she needed more of a reason to feel superior to everyone else, her drama teacher asked Candace to come forward and explain the details of her new role which Candace did, happily. She gloated that in preparation for the movie, the studio wanted her to appear in The Hollywood Reporter's New Hollywood Faces feature, an article that was dedicated to the young new faces in the Hollywood acting scene.

As she mentioned the article, Trina noticed that Candace would take fleeting glances at her. As if to make sure Trina was watching her, and hearing what she had to say. She would then proceed to smile triumphantly, which made Trina want to punch her perfectly symmetrical face.

And now it was Friday morning. Sikowitz said that the casting list would be up today and Trina could barely think straight. She was tempted to let Tori drive them to school but she knew Tori's state of mind was barely sound either. Trina repeatedly told herself to get over it, that she couldn't be a ball of nerves over this. She drank a cup of chamomile tea and tried a few breathing techniques until her stomach was no longer in knots and her heart rate came down. She looked at her watch and noticed that Tori should have been down by now.

Immediately, Tori came tumbling down the stairs. Literally. Her hair was a mess, her shirt was only half on and she was completely barefoot. She staggered up then tugged down the hem of her shirt and looked wildly at Trina.

"I… I overslept! Trina, I barely slept last night! _And_ I forgot to charge my phone last night, then my battery died so my alarm clock didn't ring! Ugh!" Tori complained as she ran into the kitchen. Trina could only stare at her little sister. She stifled a laugh as she watched Tori take out milk and orange juice out of the fridge, only to pour the orange juice into a bowl that was intended to hold her cereal and the milk into a tall glass. Tori realised her mistake too late and groaned in frustration. She looked between the bowl and the glass for a moment and then spun around to collect the cereal on the other counter. Trina realised that Tori was about to tip the cereal into the glass of milk and immediately stopped her.

"Tori, stop! I'll get you breakfast on the way to school!" Trina laughed. Tori briefly looked at Trina with anger, obviously unamused that her sister found her dishevelled state humorous, but that look quickly vanished at the mention of breakfast and was replaced with gratitude.

"Thank you so much Trina!" Tori hugged her sister and briskly walked to the garage door and opened it before abruptly turning around, mouth agape and eyes wide. Before Trina could ask her what was wrong, Tori shouted.

"I forgot my shoes!" This time, Trina let out a loud boisterous laugh that earned her a sneer from her little sister as she made her way up the stairs.

Trina no longer felt nervous about the fact that in a few hours, she was going to get the news that would determine her future in acting and Hollywood.

* * *

When Tori and Trina walked into Hollywood Arts, the hallways were crowded and loud with excited chatter. The reality of what was to come made the knots in Trina's stomach reappear. Her chest felt heavy as if somebody with a large boot was pinning her down with their foot. Tori looked like the breakfast smoothie she chugged down in the car was about to come back up and spill on the school hallway. Soon, a little redhead emerged from the large crowd and called out to the two sisters.

"Cat! Cat, what is going on right now? Is the list up?" Tori asked, the words spilling out of her mouth faster than Cat could comprehend. She stared at Tori for a moment and shook her head.

"No, not yet. But Sikowitz said he would put it up soon so everybody's crowded in the hallway right now." Cat replied, gesturing to the crowd before turning to Tori. "Are you nervous too?"

"I'm crazy nervous, Cat! Where is everyone else? Are they not here yet?"

"Everyone is in Sikowitz's classroom. Jade is trying to threaten him to show her the list first." Both Tori and Trina rolled their eyes. _'Why am I not surprised…'_ Trina thought.

"But Sikowitz won't budge… Beck thinks we will find out closer to lunch." Cat continued. Tori nodded her head and waved Trina goodbye. Trina walked to her own locker and opened it, suddenly all Trina wanted to do was just put her head inside and bang the door; it would hurt a lot less than the feeling of potential rejection.

Soon the bell rang, signalling the beginning of class. The students in the hallway collectively let out a loud and impatient groan and began to disperse. Trina didn't want to go to class, she wanted to wait for the list to be put up on the bulletin board. She wanted to be first to see it, that way the feeling of rejection would be much less painful if she was alone.

"Psst!"

Trina looked around. She swore she had heard a sound… a sound that sounded like the opening of a soda can. But as far as she could tell, she was the only person in the hallway right now. She didn't want to stay idly standing by her locker for too long. If Principal Dubois caught her loitering in the school hallway that could equal trouble and Trina was already a nervous wreck, she didn't need nor want trouble.

"Psst! Trinaaaa!"

Trina was certain she had heard a sound this time. She even heard her name. She looked around and eventually her eyes landed on the janitor closet at the very end of the hall. It slowly opened and a head emerged.

"Sinjin!" Trina whispered loud enough for him to hear. She crept to him as quietly as she could in five-inch heels.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked.

"Waiting for you! Get in!" He swung the door open and pulled Trina in. Once she was in, she noticed two chairs set up and a checkers board.

"Sinjin, what is this?" Trina asked, starting at him with irritation and a mild curiosity.

"I figured you would want to be first to see the list" He replied calmly, he seated himself on one of the chairs and gestured for Trina to join him in the opposite chair.

"You have it?" Trina asked excitedly. Sinjin shook his head.

"No, but Sikowitz should be hanging it up in about 20 minutes. He's going to make some lame excuse to leave the classroom then he'll hang up the list on the bulletin just outside." Sinjin explained. He moved a checkers piece, insinuating to Trina that the game had just begun. Trina moved her piece.

"How do you know this?"

"Because I gave him the idea" Sinjin smiled mischievously. He moved his next piece. "I told him the best thing to do was to put it up during first period, nobody would expect it up so soon and most importantly, nobody would expect him to put it up _during_ the class. It's not a genius idea but I'm sure it will work." Trina's mouth briefly formed an 'O' shape, she planned her next move.

"Now what?" Trina pondered.

"What do you mean? We wait for him to put it up then look at it. Simple."

"No I mean, what if… I don't get the part." Sinjin kept his head down but lifted his eyes to meet Trina's gaze. His eyes returned to the checkerboard as he shrugged.

"If you're worried that Candace will get the part over you, don't worry. I don't think that will be a problem."

"Why? Why do you think that?" Trina asked, moving her piece but keeping her gaze on Sinjin.

"She'll be too busy filming that movie" Trina shook her head, which made Sinjin look up and hold her gaze once more.

"It can take months before she starts filming. She can complete her role in the play and then be on her merry way, free to play Heather Duke." Trina explained. Sinjin moved his piece and took two of her checker pieces.

"Not quite, filming begins in five weeks." Trina looked stunned.

"No way! That's too soon! She couldn't handle being in a play and prepping for a film..." Trina's moment of realisation hit her, she looked at the checker board and cautiously moved her piece. "She can't do the play."

"She can't, can she? What a shame." Sinjin said, his voice void of any emotion.

"Doesn't make the role is mine, though" Trina said to herself out loud. Sinjin sighed and closed his eyes.

"Well, it eliminates one competitor, and that's a good thing. And Trina, you did wonderfully in the audition, don't doubt yourself." Trina felt self-conscious.

Sinjin tore his focused gaze from the game to check his watch.

"About seven minutes left," Sinjin stated and Trina acknowledged him by nodding her head.

"How do you think she got that role, by the way? I mean I know her father works at the studio but she's not a big box office generating name, y'know?" Trina asked. The curiosity of how on earth Candace van der Kael could get a main role in a big budget movie gave Trina a headache this whole week.

"Desperation. Nepotism... And a video audition sent by an anonymous source." Sinjin listed. His tone suggested he knew more than he was letting on and Trina was going to find out what was going on in that weird boy's head.

"What do you mean by that? What game are you playing?" Trina's tone was dangerously low. Sinjin smirked.

"The studio was desperate to find a replacement. I know a guy who works in the production of most of Lionsgate films, he told me that one of the leads quit last minute due to other commitments. So I sent in an anonymous video submission of Candace's audition for the play."

"Wait a minute… for _this_ play? How did you video tape it? I never saw you –"

"You didn't, but I did, it was mostly for you anyway." Sinjin interrupted.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I thought that if you got the role I could gift it to you, a little souvenir of the time you had me ambush a famed director to get a part." Trina scoffed but was touched by the gesture. Sinjin, knowing Trina's mannerisms, smiled at her.

"So,"Sinjin continued, "I had my buddy leave the tape on the director's desk, along with a photo of her and her dad so that the director would know exactly whose child this was. I guess the director got the hint because poof! She's suddenly hired."

"But this is an amazing opportunity, Sinjin. She may have given up the play but she gets to star in a big-budget Hollywood movie. I say in this scenario, she wins." Trina admitted. Sinjin didn't seem to think so.

"Trina, what was your first thought when you heard that they were filming a new modern adaptation of 'Heathers'?" Sinjin asked. Trina felt like she was taking a test.

"Why the hell would they make another _Heathers_? No one's going to like it as much as the first one so what's the point?"

"Exactly" Sinjin exclaimed. "Hollywood studios right now are all about tapping into 80s/90s nostalgia! It's a ploy to make money – to remake beloved movies from when we were kids because they know that there will be an audience there to see it. Doesn't mean the remakes have to be good, really. They just have to make the studio money."

"What's the point of this, Sinjin?"

"My friend said that the director is a real dunce. He thinks what will make this movie a hit is to add more violence, nudity, sex and blood. He wants to make it darker than the original movie and to play up the Heathers and Veronica as modern day promiscuous sex kittens."

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Trina exclaimed. "He doesn't have to do that! What next? Remake _Clueless_ with sex and nudity? Remake _Mean Girls_ and have Cady go full frontal?"

"Well, this director _is_ about to sign a deal to remake _Clueless…_ but you didn't hear it from me." Trina put her face in her hands and groaned impatiently.

"What does this have to do with Candace?" She moaned.

"Judging by your reaction, I would say that the 2018 remake isn't going to be a hit with fans of the original movie. My friend said that he already knows that the movie is going to bomb, it's a complete mess in terms of writing and overall quality."

"So this is your devious plan? You get her on a big Hollywood movie only for it to tank and potentially ruin her career?" Trina asked Sinjin, who feigned shock and disbelief.

"Trina! You think I would devise a two-year revenge plan to get back at a girl who embarrassed me in high school? Do you really think I'm that devious? That cunning?" Trina narrowed her eyes on his weasel face. She knew Sinjin didn't have many friends, he mostly kept himself company and during his time alone, Trina didn't doubt he thought about _that incident_ a lot and has been formulating a plan since it occurred many weeks ago.

"By the way, you lose" Sinjin added. Trina looked down at the checker board and sure enough, Sinjin had collected most of her pieces, leaving her with only two left on the board. There was no way she could win, he had manoeuvred his pieces in the perfect position so that no matter where Trina moved, he could still collect her remaining two pieces. "Don't lose focus, Trina. Or else you lose."

Before Trina could even open her mouth, a small beep emitted from his wrist watch. He gave her a look that told her that it was time. He stood from his seat and slightly opened the door to peek outside. Trina could not tell what was happening and she hated not being in the know. Her heart was beating at a dramatic speed and she had trouble swallowing. Within a few seconds, Sinjin's head returned back in. Eyes wide and smile even wider.

"It's up," Sinjin whispered. Trina felt light headed. And Sinjin could tell.

"If you want, I can go look at it and report what I see." Sinjin offered. But Trina refused to look weak. She was stronger than this and hiding in the janitor's closet wasn't going to change what was written on that sheet of paper. She needed to face it right here, right now. She shook her head, and in return Sinjin opened the door lead the way to the bulletin board.

Trina didn't want to look. She was so used to taking rejection that she fully expected this to be no different. Instead of looking at the casting sheet, she looked at Sinjin's face as he read the piece of paper. If his face showed disappointment, Trina didn't want to torture herself any longer by reading who got the part instead.

She watched as Sinjin's focused eyes scanned the sheet. Flickering from left to right before finally freezing still. He let out the breath of air he was holding, but his expression was still unreadable. He turned his head to look Trina in the eye. But Trina looked away, unable to hold his gaze. If she got the part, he would have been happy, right? But his face said otherwise and Trina just wanted to cry and scream in that very moment.

"Trina…" Sinjin whispered softly. Trina could feel the tears prickling in the corner of her eyes.

"Trina…" Sinjin repeated. "Congratulations."

Trina turned her head to face Sinjin so quickly, she could have given herself whiplash. She wanted to ask him what he meant but all that escaped her mouth was a small whimper. Sinjin's face broke out into a large smile and that gave Trina the courage to look at the casting sheet.

 **Cast:**

 _ **Dianna Kelly… Trina Vega**_ was written first and in bold.

Trina couldn't breathe. She wanted to shout and jump and kiss somebody. However, the only person near her right now was Sinjin so she refrained from kissing. Sinjin held her down so that she wouldn't jump and holler and get them in trouble. But he repeated encouraging small phrases like 'you did it!' and 'well done!'

Trina was so overwhelmed she fell to the floor and didn't want to get up.

"I did it," Trina whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to imprint this exact moment into her mind. She never wanted to forget this feeling. She wanted to remember it for the rest of her life.

"Trina, get up! You'll get us caught." Sinjin laughed half-jokingly. He too was overjoyed by the news.

She quickly hopped onto her feet and read the casting sheet further.

 **Cast:**

 _ **Dianna Kelly… Trina Vega**_

 _ **Nina Rey Allen… Tori Vega**_

 _ **Beau Reynolds… Jamie Madden**_

 _ **Hunter Wintour… Dorian Jones**_

 _ **Kelsey Evans… Beck Oliver**_

 _ **Jillian Reese… Cat Valentine**_

 _ **JJ Black… Jade West**_

 _ **Cast and crew meeting on Saturday, 1:00pm. Blackbox Theatre. Don't be late.**_

"Oh my God, Tori got a part too!" Trina shouted excitedly. But her smile fell a moment later.

"What's wrong?" Sinjin asked.

"Tori's going to be mad at me… I lied to her."

"You didn't _lie…_ you were just being careful. That's not necessarily lying. She could have told her friends about our plan and they could have ratted you out to Helen. And what if you didn't get the part? Then what would have been the point of telling her?" Sinjin asked rhetorically and Trina saw the sense of that. If she didn't get the part, it would have been embarrassing for Tori to know the lengths she went through to audition and _still_ not get the part...

A loud ringing pierced her thoughts and her train of thought abruptly ended. It was the school bell signalling the end of first period. She looked at Sinjin with wide eyes and darted towards the main door to Hollywood Arts. She turned back to see Sinjin had also followed suit.

"Where are you going?" Sinjin asked breathlessly. Was he seriously that unfit? She had only run to the parking lot…

"I don't know. I just don't feel like talking to them," Trina pointed towards the school. "They would only ask me all these questions, questions I don't want to answer. Questions I am just too happy to answer right now."

"And you don't want to face Tori?" How did he know?

"I'll face her eventually. But right now, let's celebrate. You want something to eat?" Trina offered as she opened the door to her car. Sinjin looked at her as if she had grown another head but he considered her offer.

"Sure, where do you have in mind?"

"Have you ever heard of _Lorraine's_?"

"Can't say I have…" Sinjin replied, floating around her car as if he was unsure if he should get in. As if he was crossing some sort of boundary.

"Get in" Trina teased as she put on her sunglasses and started her car.

* * *

Trina was happy. She felt amazing. She had dropped off Sinjin back at Hollywood Arts after their lunch. She thought of it as her way of thanking him. She arrived back home and plopped herself on the couch, exhausted and overwhelmed. It was 2:00pm on a Friday which meant that class had finished early today.

Trina was on cloud nine and had even treated herself to a small shopping spree. A new pair of shoes, a gold bracelet and a new purse. Nothing could ruin her mood.

"TRINA!" Cat Valentine's voice rang like a bell. Trina groaned and rolled herself over to see Cat, Tori, Jade, Beck, Andre and Robbie walking through the front door. Cat bounced to where Trina was lying down and knelt on the floor so that they were eye level.

"Congratulations! I didn't know you auditioned for the play!"

"Neither did Sikowitz or Helen, so the question is when did you audition? If you even did at all?" Jade said slyly. There was a smirk on her face but her icy blue eyes were narrowed on Trina. Unblinking and void of any humour. "So just how did you convince Jensen Taylor to give you the part?"

"Jade…" Beck warned.

"What? I just want to know… Did you do it on your knees? Your back?" Jade taunted.

Trina's anger flared. She didn't remember getting up from the sofa or walking up to Jade, but now she was face to face with the brunette. She stared Jade down unblinking.

"What's wrong, Jade? Mad that 'No-Talent Trina' got the main role over you? I didn't get on my back or my knees to get the part, I worked hard to get it. And I got it. And what did you get? A secondary role, huh? How does that feel? Does it make you feel like you're not as talented as you think?" Trina's voice dripped venom and Jade's blue eyes flared with fury. Trina smirked at her reaction.

Before Jade could strike Trina, Andre caught her arms and held her in a bear hug while Beck had moved Trina back and stood between them both. Trina was barely afraid of fighting Jade, she has been taking karate lessons for years now. She could easily beat Jade. Tori looked afraid, but Trina was unsure if she was afraid for Trina's safety or Jade's.

"You guys, let's play poker some other time. I'm tired." Tori fibbed. She wasn't tired, she was desperate to talk to Trina. Beck, Robbie and Andre seemed to get the message and began walking back to the front door.

"But I want to talk to Trina," Cat said, oblivious to the tension in the room.

"We can talk tomorrow, Cat," Trina said softly to the redhead. Trina's anger abandoned her when she talked to her innocent friend; she couldn't be angry at Cat, she was the only one in the room who congratulated her for her achievement. Cat nodded her head and bounced to Robbie, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Jade had to be escorted through the door by Beck while she shot angry glances at Trina, which Trina returned. Andre was the very last to leave; he waved Tori goodbye and closed the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Tori's face was a rollercoaster of emotions. She was angry, then confused, then hurt then in disbelief. Her mouth moved but no sound came out, she was flabbergasted and speechless.

"What do you want to know, Tori?" Trina said sternly, arms crossed. Tori still stood by the front door while Trina stood behind the couch. Tori looked taken aback by Trina's brashness.

"How?" Tori managed. Trina sighed and looked down.

"I auditioned." Trina knew she was oversimplifying but there was just too much to say and Trina was just too tired to explain everything.

"But when? You weren't allowed to! I didn't see you there…"

"I found a way. It wasn't easy but I did it and then I got the part. It's not that hard to grasp Tori." Trina said through gritted teeth. She felt her temper rising. The confusion from Tori, her friends and everyone else at Hollywood Arts on when Trina auditioned was understandable, but Trina knew where Tori's true confusion came from. Tori just didn't want to come across as rude to her sister.

"But…" Tori still looked dumbfounded as she tried to find the right words to cushion what she was trying to ask. "How… did you win him over?"

"Do you mean 'how did Trina, my talentless loser sister manage to get the starring role over me, the talented and much prettier star of the family and our school?' is that what you mean, Tori?"

This whole time, Trina felt bad for keeping this secret from her sister. But she also realised at this moment that if she had asked Tori for help, she most definitely would have said no. She wouldn't have wanted a famed director to see her talentless sister and realise that they come from the same womb.

"No! Trina no! That's not what I meant!" Tori lied.

"Yes, it is, Tori. That's what you're thinking, that's what your friends think and that's what the school thinks, right?" Trina shouted. Tori's eyes shifted to the left, unable to meet Trina's gaze. Her silence indicated to Trina that she was right about the matter.

"I understand that people feel this way, Tori. I know what they say about me behind my back, I know how they think I don't belong. And I know that because of this, they don't ever want to give me a chance. But you, Tori?" Trina's voice cracked at the end of her sentence. She was tempted to cry, she felt the tears well up in her eyes but blinked them away.

"This whole entire time I felt bad for not telling you about this. I wanted to share this with you more than anyone else. But to think, you think I'm just as talentless and less deserving of a chance as the next Hollywood Arts student or faculty." Tori looked up to meet Trina's hard stare.

"Trina…" Tori began softly. It sounded like she was about to apologise but Trina didn't want to hear it.

"If you had gotten the part, I would have been happy for you, y'know. Because I love you, you're my little sister and I want to see you succeed. But when I got the part, the first thing you thought was 'how?'" Trina looked pained as she continued. "Tori, that hurts."

"I'm sorry…" Tori began.

"I worked so hard to get that part… to show people that I'm not the worst, I just need a chance. And I got my chance and I can't even get a 'congratulations' from my sister? This is big for me! I have been rejected and rejected and rejected and now I finally get accepted to play a role I really do care about and I can't even depend on my own flesh and blood to be happy for me?" Trina was shouting and Tori crossed her arms in a defensive manner.

"I am happy for you!" Tori shouted back.

"Really? Because at least Cat came in and said congratulations to me! What did my sister say?"

"I was in shock, Trina. I didn't even know you auditioned, I wasn't expecting you to get the part."

"I understand that since I _was_ banned. _Banned_ , Tori. What did you think hearing that did to me emotionally? I felt so shitty about it. And you didn't offer me _any_ support, you didn't even offer me help! If I recall correctly, you were more upset at the fact that Jade blabbed about the audition to me than the fact that I was banned in the first place!"

"That's not fair!" Tori responded.

"Did you tell Principal Dubois that?" Tori was speechless once again and her cheeks had begun to redden. Trina knew she had her there.

"Thanks for sticking up for your sister, Tori." Trina gave Tori a sarcastic thumbs up and collected her bag from the couch. "I appreciate it." Trina swung her purse over her shoulder and stormed to the front door.

When Trina opened it, she found Tori's friends pressed against the door, listening to their conversation. They stood there red-faced, mumbling lame excuses. Trina rolled her eyes and pushed through them. Today she hadn't parked in the garage but on the street in front of their house, she figured that maybe later, she would want to go out and right now was a perfect time. She didn't want to be in the house with Tori _or_ her friends.

She angrily stomped to her car door and flung it wide open. Trina didn't know where she wanted to go, she just needed a distraction. She started her car and drove down her street, unsure of where to go.

If Trina was certain of something, she knew that anywhere was better than home.

But what Trina didn't know, was that she would be crossing paths with something, or _someone_ , who would be just what she needed.


	5. 5: Art House

_I don't own the characters created by Dan Schneider, just my OCs._

 _Chapter five – Art House_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Trina had been driving in circles for what felt like an eternity, undecided on where she should go. She wanted to go somewhere or do something or do anything that would take her mind off everything. She didn't want to go to _Lorraine's,_ that was her thinking place and the last thing she wanted to do was think.

She passed her local movie theater and considered watching a movie. But the next movie showing was _Lake Monster Party of Death 4: the Fourth Coming,_ which irritatingly reminded her of her sister. She and Tori had watched the first movie, and the second, just to mock the production work, the terrible and incoherent plot and terrible acting. It was truly a terrible piece of work and a disgrace to the art form that is film making. She couldn't begin to imagine how terrible a _fourth_ sequel would be.

She drove past the theater and continued on. The sun was quickly setting over Hollywood, and the streets were lit with neon lights. Trina continued her search for something to do, she continued driving absentmindedly. Not caring where she went.

The night was now colored in orange and brown hues from the plain and old looking buildings and the dull luminescence from the street lights that surrounded Trina. She realized she might have ventured maybe a little too far from home for she couldn't pinpoint exactly where she was anymore. She had never seen this street before. Trina parked her car on the quiet street to gather her bearings.

Well, it wasn't _that_ quiet, Trina noticed. There were a few people loitering outside the plain buildings, and they were chatting happily among themselves. Trina's interest peaked when she noted that the people loitering were dressed quite nicely. One woman had blond beach wave hairstyle and carried a Céline handbag. Another woman was carrying a white Chanel purse and wore Louboutins, she chatted to two men as she sipped what Trina thought was either white wine or champagne.

Trina gazed in confusion at the crowd. What were they doing here? This wasn't Hollywood Boulevard, or any hot nightclub or fancy restaurant… The street was quiet, the only source of light were the flickering streetlights. What was so special about this place?

Trina wanted to go out and see for herself, maybe there was something interesting about this place. If it meant not thinking about her sister and her friends, she didn't mind the distraction. Trina wondered if she would fit in. These people looked rich; they carried designer handbags and walked with an air of confidence and entitlement. And Trina feared that she would stick out like a sore thumb. She looked down at her clothes; she was wearing a loose white chiffon blouse tucked into blue jeans and black 5-inch pumps. She figured that if she strutted there with confidence she could pretend that her Forever 21 was actually Alexander McQueen.

Just then, the door to the building behind the chatting people opened and two more people walked out. Both of them were engaged in a conversation as they made their way to a car close to Trina. Trina took the opportunity to grab her purse and hop out of her car. She strutted to the door, looking sure of herself and like she belonged. She opened the door and curiously peered inside.

Trina was stunned. The room was filled with white fluorescent lighting and paired with the white walls, made the room shockingly bright in comparison to the evening setting outside. The room was abuzz with chatter as people faced the walls and looked at the artwork on the walls. Trina's eyes took a while to adjust as she looked around the room squint-eyed. Her mouth was slightly agape in awe as she took in the brilliance of the room. It was filled with young adults who looked so engrossed in their world that they didn't even notice the outsider in their midst.

She would never have guessed that such a place was hidden in such a shabby and plain looking building.

"Invite?" A rough voice beside her brought her out of her thoughts and into reality. The man was burly looking and looked at her sternly.

"What?" Trina asked, feeling slightly foolish.

" _Where_ is your invitation?"

"My invite… right… About that…" Trina trailed off. She could see that the bouncer was ready to toss her out. He grabbed her arm to escort her out and Trina let out a gasp.

"Trina?" Another voice called out. A young man with dark hair and blue eyes approached Trina and the bouncer. Trina knew exactly who he was, it just filled her with surprise that he was here _and_ was coming to her rescue.

"Jamie?" Trina asked aloud, which earned her a chuckle from her future co-star. She remembered that he was playing Beau Reynolds, one of her love interests in _Primadonna!_

"The one and only… it's okay Jack, let her go. She's with me." When Jamie said that, the burly man let her go and disappeared into the crowd. No doubt to look for more party-crashers.

"Pay him no mind; he's just doing what he was hired to do," Jamie said casually as he grabbed two full champagne glassed from a passing waitress. He passed a glass to Trina with a smile.

"Thank you, for the champagne… and for saving me." Jamie's face broke out into a grin as he raised his glass to Trina.

"No problem. But I am curious Trina, what are you doing here?" He inquired. "I have never seen you with this kind of crowd."

"What kind of crowd is this?" Trina wondered. She looked around and noted that everyone here dressed smart yet casual. She noticed that Jamie wore black jeans, black converse and a black blazer over a plain white T-shirt. A casual look made smarter by a fitted black blazer.

Jamie laughed as he looked around at the groups of people.

"Uhhh… Young actors, both starting and established who also have a fine appreciation for art?" He waved his hand to the crowd. "And with a few heirs and heiresses in the mix, I guess." He added.

Trina looked around the room, her eyes landed on one blond haired girl who giggled loudly and seemed to naturally attract a crowd. Trina looked closely at the girl and realized just who she was. She was Mila Everson, the daughter of Paul Everson, as in owner of Jet Brew Coffee, a billion-dollar company. She was stinking rich. Trina gasped, she had only ever seen her in magazines and Trina followed her on almost every social media platform. She lived the life of a young, rich and beautiful Californian heiress who partied with celebrities, therefore you can bet that she had a high following on social media.

"I see you recognize who she is, moving on…" Jamie said with indifference as he turned his back in Mila's direction and began walking in the opposite direction of the heiress. Trina was tempted to ask why he seemed to have bitter feelings for the heiress, but in all honesty, she didn't care enough to actually ask.

"What is this place?" She wondered out loud. And to that, Jamie turned his head to look her in the eye and smiled.

"This…" He opened his arms, gesturing to the whole room, "is the Art House. It's a place where artists of all kind come and show off their art. It changes artists every other month. The objective is to give every LA artist, of every kind, the chance to showcase their art. If you're an artist, you can hang your artwork. If you're a poet, you can have a poetry night. If you're a performance artist, you can come and do your performance here, if you're a budding filmmaker, all you need is a projector and you're set. That's why the walls are white, like a blank canvas."

"Wow, that sounds amazing. What about theater?" Trina asked excitedly.

"If you want to see a theater performance, go to a theater! This is for the little lesser known artists in the LA scene. A lot of the rich hipster grunge kids and try hard snowflakes come here too so, I must admit, some of the artwork in here can, in my opinion, be kind of stupid. But it's not hard to stumble on a real gem, like this right here." He led Trina to a sculpture on a pedestal, next to a wall. Trina gasped as she looked at the art piece; it was a bouquet of roses sculpted by what appeared to be gold. It was incredibly detailed; the artist carved the veins of the leaves perfectly and added thorns that glittered in the brightly lit room.

"Is this… real gold?" Trina asked while marveling at the artwork.

"Appears so. This isn't even my favorite piece. Come with me." Jamie took Trina's hand and led her to a painting on the wall which took her breath away. It was a softly colored painting of a glamorous old Hollywood looking woman likened to Marilyn Monroe lying naked in a bed of silk sheets and furs. The texture of the sheets and furs looked so lifelike as if Trina could reach out and touch it. The artist used mostly red, cream and pink colors and the soft brush gave the painting a dream-like effect.

"It's… beautiful" Was all Trina could say. The canvas used was huge, so Trina had to tilt her head up to take in as much as she could.

"It is, isn't it. I was thinking about buying it, but so many people here have already placed bids. I love the piece, honestly, but I wouldn't get into a bidding war with these people for it."

"Why not?" Trina asked.

"Well, they are kids with a hell of a lot of money and nothing to lose. If I bid something, _guaranteed_ , they will top it by at least $100,000 and I don't have that kind of money."

"What? No way! You've been in like so many movies and TV shows!" Trina blurted before thinking. Immediately she wanted to slap her palm on her forehead, luckily Jamie found her blunder amusing. Jamie turned his head to face Trina in surprise and let out a boisterous laugh that left her red-faced.

Jamie Madden was the most talked about senior, scratch that, _student_ in the whole of Hollywood Arts. It absolutely had everything to do with the fact that he had appeared in various commercials, TV shows and movies. He never actually _starred_ in those TV shows or movies, even though he could have. There are rumors that Jamie has an offer almost every week to star in some big Hollywood movie or TV show but he turns them down and opts for more guest roles. This made Trina, and almost everyone else at Hollywood Arts, always wonder why he never just dropped out and pursued acting full time.

"I may get a few acting jobs here and there but I fully intend to save my money. Plus, a few guest starring roles doesn't make you a million dollars, Trina. And at eighteen I'm still a kid to most producers, I'm not going to get paid much."

Trina nodded in response and allowed her thoughts to take over again. She remembered watching one of her favorite TV shows called _Beverly Hills Dolls_ , a show centered on the lives of rich and privileged girls who lived in California. They would back stab each other, humiliate each other and steal each others boyfriends… while at the same time trying to convince the viewers that they are actually 'best friends'. It made for interesting television.

One episode, the messiest character in the show, Lindsay Carmichael, met a mysterious man at her mother's annual masquerade ball. She was watching the episode with Tori, and both sisters couldn't contain their surprise when the man's mask came off and revealed Jamie Madden's face. The school was buzzing the very next day, crowding Jamie and asking him all sorts of questions. Trina wanted to ask him what happened next on the show but she didn't want to bother him and they barely even knew each other. They were strangers to each other; she doubted he even knew her name.

Jamie is a great actor, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see that he had gotten a part in the play. Trina was silently giddy at the thought of him playing her love interest. She was even giddier at the prospect of possibly sharing a kiss with him on stage. Trina wasn't oblivious to his good looks, Jamie was extremely good looking. He had a face perfect for the big screen; he had classic good looks that made girls swoon. Trina wasn't won over yet, though, she was still slightly weary of him.

Why was he being so nice to her? Why did he 'save' her from Jack the bouncer? How did he even know her name? She was so sure he didn't…

It was true that Trina and he shared two classes together but they had _never_ interacted, ever… Okay maybe ' _never'_ is too strong of a word, but Trina could only recall talking to him once. A few months ago he asked her for a pen. That was about it.

"What are you thinking about?" Jamie asked.

"Nothing," Trina answered automatically. Jamie tilted his head and looked at her skeptically.

"Really? Because your eyebrows are all scrunched up like you're thinking really hard, and you haven't even noticed that we have been walking in silence for nearly ten minutes… What's up?" Trina cursed herself for making her inner turmoil and doubt so obvious.

"Why did you lie for me earlier? With Jack the bouncer, I mean." Trina finally asked. Jamie nodded his head understandingly and sighed.

"I obviously didn't want you to be kicked out, I'm not an ass," He guided her to a white couch in the corner of her room and sat. "Plus I also wanted to congratulate you for landing the role of Dianna Kelly. Congratulations Trina."

Trina smiled shyly. "Thanks, Congratulations to you too."

"And I saw your sister Tori got a part too, isn't that cool? You and your sister will be playing rivals, but you should be used to that already, huh? Being siblings and all..." Jamie laughed at what he thought was a joke but to Trina, it wasn't and only put her more in a sombre mood. Jamie noticed and his smile turned to a frown.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked Trina, taking her hand in concern.

Trina felt her bitter memories resurfacing. She quietly excused herself and strode out the door, into the chilling night air. She checked her phone and saw it was 8 pm. She didn't want to say out long; tomorrow she had her first script reading. She silently hoped that Tori and her friends weren't at her house, but they probably are and Trina wasn't in the mood.

"Trina! I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Jamie called out to her. He had run out of The Art House and was standing in front of Trina, looking at her with regret.

"No! No, you didn't say anything wrong, Jamie. I'm sorry for bolting like that… I just needed some fresh air."

"Do you need to talk about it?" He asked shyly.

"I don't want to trouble you," Trina admitted, hugging herself to protect herself from the blowing cool wind.

"It's no trouble, Trina. We're going to be spending a lot of time together in the next few weeks, might as well get to know each other. Plus, I'm a great listener." Trina sighed in defeat; she really wanted to talk to someone about this.

"Okay, but not here."

"Nozu? I think I saw a Freezy Queen a few miles down…"

"I'm in the mood for Nozu, whose car are we taking?"

"I took a taxi here so I guess yours." Jamie laughed, Trina thought that his smile and laugh was contagious because she found herself smiling as they got into Trina's car and made their way to Nozu.

* * *

"That's insane!" Jamie exclaimed. Trina and Jamie were seated in a booth at Nozu, Trina was moving her calamari around her plate with her fork absentmindedly as she told Jamie how she got to audition for Jensen Taylor.

"A racoon? You're lying to me!" Jamie shook his head and took a sip of his lemon water.

"Not at all! Picture it: A real racoon, loose in the halls of Hollywood Arts!" Trina commented, laughing at the memory. Jamie threw his head back in laughter and Trina felt glad that she made him laugh, she was happy that someone was actually enjoying her company.

Jamie, on the other hand, found her antics riveting and wanted to hear more. He wondered who she was, who is Trina? He didn't want to say what he was thinking. He didn't want Trina to say the words out loud either. 'Why haven't we hung out before?' or 'Why are we only talking now?'

Trina sounded like an interesting character and that made him ashamed of the fact that he had listened to other people's opinions of her and hadn't bothered to talk to her. He remembered listening to Candace go on and on about how Trina was incredibly untalented, and he had stood by and listened to his friends make up stupid scenarios on just how she got into Hollywood Arts. Many of them were incredibly degrading and suddenly he found his cheeks reddening at the memory of how he laughed along with his friends' jokes.

"So when I found out that I got the part today, I was so glad. I felt… I don't even know! How do you describe a feeling like that? I never get parts and that day it felt like finally… the universe gave me something good for once!" Trina beamed at him, she looked just as happy as she was when she got the news. Her eyes were full of life and passion and joy as she talked about her afternoon.

"But the feeling didn't last that long, I wasn't home long until my sister and her friends came home and made me feel like complete shit," Jamie noted how the light in her eyes darkened and her eyes refused to leave the plate in front of her. "Well, Cat congratulated me. Jade was a bitch to me, but that isn't unusual. But my sister, Tori… she really hurt me. " Trina trailed off and looked towards the crowd of people enjoying their seafood.

Jamie had heard a few things about Tori Vega, many of them positive. They called her the 'Talented Vega'. Jamie didn't want to feel pity for Trina, but he did. Jamie knew what it felt to be in a sibling's shadow, but it couldn't be easy being in your _little_ sister's shadow and be told that you are lesser than your younger sister and untalented in comparison.

He also knew about Tori's friends. He had worked with Beck many times; he seemed like a really cool guy and was well liked by the students of Hollywood Arts. He and Jade, however, was something he didn't get. People would talk about how pretty she was but it would always follow with a _'…but, she's so scary!' or '…but, she's so mean!'_ He had never interacted with Jade West, he had heard her sing, he had seen her act but they had never spoken to each other. And knowing she had been mean to Trina and was partially the reason for her being so upset rubbed him the wrong way.

Jamie knew Andre professionally as well. He wrote music for most of the plays he had been in during his time at Hollywood Arts but it's not like they were friends, they would only see each other at rehearsals. Jamie didn't want to dwell on Robbie too much; he always thought he was just a comedian with a ventriloquist dummy act until he noticed that Robbie carried his puppet with him _everywhere_ he went. Even into bathrooms. And when Jamie had attempted to have a conversation with him, Robbie would excessively sweat, stammer and stare at him creepily. Jamie was surprised to hear his puppet 'speak' and degrade Robbie for acting like a dork, and then Robbie told him to hush like he was a real person… Jamie had laughed nervously and slowly backed away. They never spoke again after that.

But Cat, he was familiar with. He fondly remembered acting with her for a class assignment. It was Shakespeare's _Romeo & Juliet_ and of course, he played Romeo and she played Juliet. She was fun and quirky, and unnecessarily hyper but Jamie figured that was a good thing. He thought she added a little something extra to the play and found the experience fun. Jamie recounted how he even considered asking her out but never got around to actually asking her on a date. He was pleased to know that Cat was a friend to Trina even when her sister wasn't.

"I'm sorry your sister was shitty to you. But you really shouldn't let her reaction get you so down," Jamie offered, "in the end, you got the part and that's what you need to focus on."

"That's easier said than done," Trina grumbled.

Jamie chuckled. "Yes, but don't let this one bit of negativity cloud your mind. This is a fantastic opportunity; it could lead to big things Trina, bigger than you can imagine. I know for a fact that there will be talent scouts at the play; on the lookout for a new young actress to sign, and it could be you. This could be your big break! You've made it this far. And you being pouty about this isn't going to get you further.

And not to dampen your mood even further, don't forget that you're still going to be starring in this play _opposite_ your own sister. She may be a star, but this is your own opportunity to be the brightest star of them all. This is your chance to show these fuckers that Trina Vega is not one to be underestimated!" Jamie exclaimed.

Trina stared wide-eyed at Jamie before nodding her head. This is exactly what she wanted deep down. She wanted to shine bright… to shine brighter than Tori for once. For the first time ever, she was given the opportunity to do just that and she wasn't going to let an unexpected reaction from her sister put her down.

And for a brief moment, Trina had forgotten that in some twisted irony, she and Tori would be playing rivals. A character whose sole existence is to upstage Trina and that made her laugh. She had always felt like the reason for Tori's existence was just to upstage her, make her question herself and her talent, especially after she got into Hollywood Arts. _A funny sick joke_ , Trina thought.

"You're right" Trina murmured into her drink.

"Sorry?" Jamie asked. Trina had a feeling he had heard her and that made her want to roll her eyes but she refrained from doing so.

"You heard me! I said you're right. I shouldn't let it bother me."

"That's the spirit!" Jamie laughed, he casually lifted his hands and put them behind his head, and for a minute Trina felt envious. He carried an aura of self-confidence and easiness and that was something that Trina hadn't felt in a long time. But this only made Trina angry at herself, why did she feel this way? She got the role, so why did she still doubt herself and her abilities.

Trina leant back and stared at him, she looked at the man she would be sharing an onstage relationship with. Her mind drifted back to the casting sheet as she remembered that she would be having an onstage romance with Beck, which filled her with annoyance. She still hasn't forgiven him, Robbie and Andre for humiliating her in front of her father. Which in response, her own father told her that he wanted her to move far, far away from him when she attended college. Words Trina did not forget.

Trina felt her feelings of self-pity and misery morph into rage and spite. She offered a smile to Jamie as she raised her glass.

"To starring roles and great opportunities," Trina offered. To which Jamie smile warmly and lifted his glass.

"To starring roles and great opportunities!" Jamie cheered as his glass clinked with Trina's. _And a cheer to using spite as a motivation to win_ , Trina silently added. She smiled wickedly as she thought to herself. It was about time she became numb to Tori and her friends' japes. She didn't care anymore. She truly didn't, because all she wanted in that moment was a chance to be number one, to win.

 _But it's not enough to win, others must fail,_ Trina thought bitterly. She felt as sly as Sinjin but she didn't care. She was the lead and she was going to be the biggest and brightest star, so big and so bright that other stars near her would drown in their insignificance.

"It's getting late, and we have first rehearsals tomorrow," Trina said. Jamie offered to pay for the meal and before Trina could refuse, he had already swiped his card. Trina thanked him as she collected her purse, but he remained seated.

"I can drive you home, you know." Trina offered. It was the least she could do.

"It's alright. I have an Uber coming; I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Vega." He quickly stood up and surprised Trina with an embrace. Trina felt her cheeks heat at the spontaneous gesture.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jamie," Trina whispered in his ear while he held her. When he let her go, she left him with a smile and made her exit.

Trina couldn't avoid going home anymore; she got into her car and started her engine. However, as she drove home, she couldn't help but smile. Meeting Jamie was just what she needed, she no longer worried about Tori or Jade's words and that made her feel ten times lighter.

And that made her feel ten times more confident, which made her feel more and more convinced that the role of Dianna Kelly couldn't have gone to anyone else but her.


End file.
